Automatic flat filler and dibbler

ABSTRACT

An automatic flat filler and dibbler apparatus wherein empty nursery flats are conveyed to a hopper device and filled with packing media, such as soil. The filled flats pass under a compacting roller for compressing the material within the flats and are then moved under a scraper for removing excess soil from the flats. The filled flats are then transported to a dibbler mechanism with the flats being momentarily stopped to permit a dibbler plate to be pressed into the soil to form a plurality of dibbles or openings therein. The flat is then removed from the dibbler apparatus and is in condition for receiving transplants.

p a United States Patent [u lnventor Robert .I. Broersma FOREIGN PATENTSV Y 22 5 k Mich- 599,962 3/1948 Great Britain 47/37 [21] Appl PrimaryExaminerRobert E. Bagwill i [22] Filed May 23,1968 w dh I h Fl 45Patented Mar. 23, 1971 Ammeym 5 and [73]v Assignee Hoyer Foundry andMachine Co.

'- Kingston, Pa.

. I I I I L v AUTOMATIC FLATFIL ER AND DIBBLER ABSTRACT: An automaticflat filler and dibbler apparatus 10 Claims, 16 Drawing Figs.

' 1 r wherein empty nursery flats are conveyed to a hopper device [52;]n and filled with packing media, such as soil. The filled flats pass E-fl 8 9/08 under a compacting roller for compressing the material within[50] vField of Search 47/ 1', 37; the flats and are then movedunder ascraper for removing q: T v 11 1/99 cess soil from the flats. The filledflats are then transported to 3 a dibbler mechanism with the flats beingmomentarily stopped v i 7 References Cited to permit a dibbler plate tobe pressed into the soil to form a UNITED STATES PATENTS plurality ofdibbles or openings therein. The flat is ,then 2,771,709 1 1/1956 Ritter.L -47/l removed from the dibhler apparatus and is in condition for-47/1 receiving transplants.

PATENTED mm 3571.971

' 7 sum 1 0r 8 AUTOMATIC FLAT FILLER AND DIBBLER FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to a flat filler and dibbler apparatus and, moreparticularly, relates to an apparatus for automatically filling emptynursery flats with packing media and for automatically forming aplurality of dibbles within the packing media in the flat for permittingplants to be transplanted thereinto.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION It has long been the general practice in thenursery industry, particularly among bedding-plant growers, totransplant small plants and seedlings into traylike containers generallyreferred to as nursery flats. These bedding plants, when transplanted,are generally quite small and fragileand are thus easily damaged. Sinceonly a relatively small number of plants can generally be grown within asingle flat, there is a need for large numbers of flats to accommodatethe large numbers and different varieties of plants and seedlings placedtherein.

The nursery industry has 'long been confronted with the problem of howto quickly and efiiciently fill large numbers of flats so as tofacilitate the transplanting of the bedding plants. The filling processgenerally used heretofore was very inefficient, uneconomical and highlyinadequate. The individual flats were generally filled by shoveling soilinto the empty flat whereupon a worker then used a board to level thesoil within the flat by scraping off the excess. The filled flats werethen generally stacked in a pile and steamed to kill any disease whichmight exist within the soil, thereby insuring a healthy growing plant.Some nurseries modified the above process by first steaming the soil inbulk whereupon the flats were then manually filled and leveled in thesame manner as described above.

After the individual flats were filled, the flats were then generallyplaced on a support, such as on a potting bench, whereupon a workerwould then take a rectangularly shaped board having a series of woodenplugs on the face thereof, generally referred to as a dibble plate, andwould press the board against the top of the flat, the plugs thusforming a plurality of holes in the soil within the flat. The dibbleplate would then be manually removed whereupon the small plants would beinserted into the individual holes and the soil lightly compressedaround the roots of the plants.

It will be apparent that manually filling each of the flats and thenmanually forming the holes therein in the manner as explained above isnot only time consuming but is also expensive since it requires asubstantial amount of manual labor.

Further, such a manual filling and dibbling operation is uneconomicaland inefficient for bedding plant growers filling large numbers of flatssince such growers must employ a substantially large number of workersinorder to be able to fill and dibble the many flats required. However,since the nursery business is seasonal, it is often difficult to obtainlarge numbers of workers for the seasonal periods in which theseoperations must be performed. Further, even if the required number ofworkers can be obtained, the nursery operator must provide suff cientworking facilities and space to accommodate the large number of workersand accordingly the cost of operating such a large volume business isseriously increased. There thus exists a need for a compact andefficient apparatus capable of rapidly and automatically filling largenumbers of flats with the apparatus further being able to automaticallydibble the filled flats.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide:

1. An apparatus capable of filling and dibbling nursery flats.

2. An apparatus, as aforesaid, capable of automatically filling flatswith packing media, compacting the packing media within the flat, andscraping the excess packing media from the flat.

3. An apparatus, as aforesaid, capable of automatically filling aplurality of successively presented flats at a rela tively rapid rate.

4. A flat filler apparatus, as aforesaid, capable of being adjusted toaccommodate various sized flats.

5. A flat-filler apparatus, as aforesaid, which is usable withconventional conveyor systems as normally possessed by nurseries.

6. A flat filler apparatus, as aforesaid, which is simple and economicalin operation and requires a minimum of maintenance.

7. An apparatus, as aforesaid, capable of automatically dibbling aplurality of sequentially presented flats at a relatively rapid rate.

8. A dibbler apparatus, as aforesaid, having control means forautomatically controlling the movement of the flats and the movement ofthe dibble plate whereby the complete dibbling operation issubstantially automatically accomplished.

9. A dibbler apparatus, as aforesaid, capable of being adjusted toaccommodate flats of difi'erent sizes.

10. A dibbler apparatus, as aforesaid, which is adaptable for use withconventional conveyor systems as possessed by nurseries.

11. A dibbler apparatus, as aforesaid, which is simple and economical inoperation and requires a minimum amount of maintenance.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description forconvenience in reference only and will not be limiting. The wordsupwardly," downwardly," rightwardly" and leftwardly" will designatedirections in the drawings to which reference is made. The wordforwardly" will refer to the normal direction of movement of the flatsthrough the apparatus. The words front and rear will refer to the inletand outlet ends of the apparatus, respectively, relative to the normalflow direction of the flats. The words inwardly" and outwardly" willrefer to directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometriccenter of the device and designated parts thereof. Said terminology willinclude the words above specifically mentioned, derivatives thereof andwords of similar import.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In general, the objects and purposes of theinvention are met by providing an apparatus for filling successivelypresented flats with packing media, the excess packing media then beingscraped from the flats and the remaining packing media being compactedwithin the flats. The flats are then presented to a dibbler mechanismwhereupon a plurality of holes are automatically formed within thepacking media contained in the flats, the flats then being transportedto a transplant working area.

The flat-filler apparatus includesa frame adapted to have a powerconveyor positioned adjacent thereto, the frame having a hopperpositioned directly above the power conveyor whereupon the conveyorsuccessively presents a series of empty flats to the hopper, the flatsbeing filled with packing media as they pass thereunder. The filledflats pass beneath a scraper mechanism when leaving the hopper. Theframe also has a compacting roller positioned adjacent the hopper exitwhereupon the flats move under the roller and partially compact thematerial therein. The flats then pass under a plow device whereuponadditional, excess packing media is removed from the flat. The pressureroller is floatably mounted on the frame to permit adjustment in thedegree of compaction imposed on the packing media. Similarly, the plowis floatably mounted to permit same to slide along the upper edges ofthe flats. The hopper is additionally provided with a pair of relativelymovable guide members and sidewalls to adapt the machine to flats ofdifferent widths. A removable divider wall permits the hopper to beconverted from a tapered configuration particularly usable with drypacking media to a substantially straight chimney-type configurationparticularly suitable for use with wet packing media.

The filled flats, after leaving the tiller apparatus, are transferred toa second power conveyor which runs at a faster speed whereupon theadjacent flats become spaced from one another. This latter conveyor ispositioned underneath a frame supporting a dibbler mechanism thereon.The flats are individually moved into position under the dibblermechanism whereupon the flat contacts a stop which holds the flatstationary and causes the dibbler mechanism to be moved downwardly toform a plurality of holes in the packing media contained in the flat.The dibbler mechanism is then automatically retracted and, when returnedto its original position, causes, energization of an auxiliary powermechanism for removing the stop out of the path of the flat whereuponthe conveyor again causes the flat to move forwardly out from underneaththe dibbler mechanism. A sensing mechanism indicates when the flat ismoved from underneath the dibbler mechanism so that the stop is againautomatically returned to its original position so as to project intothe path of travel of the flats, thereby stopping the next flatwhereupon the abovedescribed dibbling operation is again repeated. Otherobjects and purposes of this invention will be apparent to personsacquainted with apparatus of this general type upon reading thefollowing specification and inspecting the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1A is a perspective view of aflat-filler apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of a dibbler apparatus according to thepresent invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the flat-filler apparatus,partially in cross section, taken along the line II-II of FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional elevational view taken along the lineIII-Ill of FIG. 2

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a fragment of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the scraper mechanism.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged, fragmentary top view of the pressure roller andplow mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view of the structure illustrated in FIG.6.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged elevational view of the pressure roller and of themounting arrangement therefor.

FIG. 9 is an elevational view of the mounting for the pressure rollertaken along the line IX-IX ofFIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the plow mechanism taken alongthe line X-X of FIG. 6.

FIG. 11 is a broken, side elevational view of the dibbler apparatusillustrated in FIG. 18.

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken along the lineXII-XII of FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line XIII-XIII of FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an elevational sectional view taken along the line XIV-XIV ofFIG. 11.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of the control system for the dibblerapparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1A illustrates therein a flat filler apparatus11 according to the present invention, which apparatus is preferablypositioned in substantial alignment with the dibbler apparatus 13illustrated in FIG. 1B. The exit end (leftward end in FIG. 1A) of theflat-filler apparatus is preferably positioned closely adjacent theentrance end (rightward end in FIG. 1B) of the dibbler apparatuswhereupon the empty flats are conveyed by a first conveyor means 12 tothe flat filler apparatus and, after being filled, are automaticallyconveyed to the dibbler apparatus by a second conveyor means 14whereupon the dibbling operation is performed on the filled flats, theflats then being automatically conveyed away from the dibbler apparatus.

Considering first the flat filler ll of FIG. 1A, this apparatus includesa frame I6 having a packing media hopper l7 thereon, a compacting device18 and a plow mechanism 19 being positioned adjacent the exit end of thehopper for a purpose to be explained hereinafter.

The frame 16 includes opposite pairs of legs 21 and 22, which pairs oflegs are fixedly interconnected by means of side pieces 23 extendingtherebetween. The lower ends of the legs are preferably provided withflanges 24 thereon to permit the frame to be fixedly secured to amounting surface, such as a floor, by means of conventional anchor boltsor screws.

The hopper 17 (FIGS. 1A, 2 and 3) has a substantially vertical frontwall 26 with the lower edge of the wall extending between and beingfixedly secured to the side pieces 23. The hopper is further providedwith a rear wall 27 which tapers upwardly and outwardly relative to thefront wall 26 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2. The rear wall 27 hasa frame member 29 extending across the lower edge thereof, which framemember is fixedly connected to the opposite side pieces 23. A fixedsidewall 31 extends between the front and rear sidewalls 26 and 27adjacent one edge of the hopper, the sidewall 31 being substantiallyparallel to a movable sidewall 32 having mounting brackets 33 thereon soas to permit the movable sidewall 32 to be adjustably secured to thefront and rear sidewalls, thereby permitting adjustment in the distanceseparating the sidewalls 31 and 32. The upper portion 34 of the movablesidewall 32 is tapered outwardly (FIG. 3) to form an enlarged opening atthe top of the hopper to facilitate filling same with packing media.

The hopper also has associated therewith a removable divider wall 36which can be secured therein to convert the hopper from a substantiallytapered configuration to a substantially rectangular chimney-shapedconfiguration. The removable divider wall 36 (FIGS. 2 and 3) includes apair of substantially flat overlapping strips 37 and 38 having flanges39 on the opposite edges thereof, which flanges abut against thesidewalls 31 and 32 of the hopper and are adapted to be secured theretoby means of bolts or screws. The strips 37 and 38 are laterallyinterconnected by means of a bolt-and-slot connection 41 (FIG. 3) so asto permit the width ofthe divider wall 36 to be adjusted in accordancewith the distance separating the sidewalls 3I and 32. Further,. theupper portion 42 of the removable divider wall 36 is tapered outwardly(FIG. 2) to form an enlarged opening to facilitate filling of the hopperwith packing media. While FIGS. 1-3 illustrate the hopper as having theremovable divider wall 36 mounted therein, this wall can be removed inits entirety from within the hopper if so desired.

The hopper 17 is supported directly above the first conveyor means 12with the conveyor means I2 being positioned between the opposite pairsof legs 21 and 22 (FIG. IA). The first conveyor means 12 is ofconventional construction and has a conveyor frame 46 supported by aplurality of legs 47 which rest on a conventional bearing surface, suchas a floor, whereupon the conveyor thus functions completelyindependently of the flat filler 11. The conveyor means 12 has aconventional movable conveying belt 48 thereon with the upper surface ofthe belt being utilized to convey nursery flats or trays 51 to and fromthe flat filler II. If desired, the flats 51 may have a plurality ofbedding baskets or liners 52 therein, such bedding baskets being ofconventional configuration.

To assist in feeding the empty flats Sl'into the flat filler 11, thehopper is provided with a fixed side guide 53 (FIG. 4) having an innersubstantially vertical guide 53 (FIG. 4) having an inner substantiallyvertical guide surface 54 thereon, which side guide 53 is fixedlysecured to the lower edge of the fixed sidewall 31 and extendslongitudinally thereof. There is also provided an adjustable side guide57 having an inner guide surface 58 thereon, the inner guide surfaces 54and 58 being substantially parallel to one another and extendingsubstantially lengthwise of the conveyor belt 48. The side guides 53 and57 each have upper guide shoes 56 and 59, respectively, positioneddirectly over and slightly above the upper edge of the flat 51substantially as illustrated in FIG. 4. The adjustable side guide 57 isfixedly secured to the movable sidewall 32 for simultaneous adjustmenttherewith. The side guides 53 and 57 each extend longitudinallyoutwardly beyond the front of the hopper for a substantial distance and,as illustrated in FIG. 1A, are provided with outwardly flared ends 65thereon to assist in aligning and positioning the empty flats 51therebetween. Similarly, the upper guide shoes 56-and 59 extendoutwardly beyond the front wall 26 of the hopper for a distance at leastequal to the length of the flat 51, the extreme forward end of the upperguide shoes being curved upwardly so as to define a convergingpassageway between the guide shoes and the conveyor belt as the flatsare moved into position underneath the hopper 17.

The hopper 17 is also provided with a detachable center guide shoe 66(FIG. 2) which extends substantially parallel to the upper surface ofthe conveyor belt 48, the guide shoe having a rear mounting portion 67which is positioned adjacent the lower edge of the rear wall 27 of thehopper, being fixedly connected thereto by means of a screw or bolt. Thecenter guide shoe 66 is also provided with a curved lead-in portion 68which extends outwardly beyond the front wall 26 for a distance at leastequal to the longitudinal length of the flat 51 and is curved upwardlyso as to define a converging passageway between the guide shoe 66 andthe conveyor belt 48 as the flats 51 are moved into position underneaththe hopper 17. The center guide shoe is preferably utilized only whenthe apparatus is used to fill flats containing a plurality of beddingbaskets 52 therein, the guide 'shoe 66 being adjustably secured to thehopper 17 so as to extend substantially along the longitudinalcenterline of the flat so as to overlie the abutting edges of thebedding baskets in the manner-as illustrated in FIG. 4, therebypreventing tipping of the baskets as the packing media is depositedtherein. Similarly, the upper guide shoes 56 and 59 extend along theopposite longitudinal edges of the flat and overlie the edges of thebedding baskets so as to prevent tipping of the baskets as packing mediais deposited therein. When the apparatus is utilized to fill flatcontaining no bedding baskets therein, then the guide shoe 66 can beeasily detached and removed from the hopper.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the lower edges of the hopper walls arespaced from the upper surface of the conveyor belt 48 by a distanceslightly greater than the height of the flats 51 so as to permit same tofreely pass thereunder. The sidewalls 31 and 32 and the front and rearwalls 26 and 27 define a substantially rectangular discharge opening 69in the bottom of the hopper 17, the packing-media being deposited intothe empty flats 51 as they movepast and underneath the opening 69.

To prevent the flats from being filled with a quantity of packing mediasubstantially in excess of that required, the

I hopper is provided with a scraper mechanism 71 (FIGS. 2 and 5)positioned adjacent the lower edge of the rear wall 27. The

scraper mechanism includes a scraper blade 72 which extends transverselyacross the width of the hopper, the blade being secured to a backingplate 73 which in turn issecured to the frame member 29 by means of aplurality of screws 76. The

. backing plate 73 is preferably provided with elongated vertical slots74 therein so as to permit the elevation of the scraper blade 72 to beadjusted, thereby permitting adjustment in the quantity of packing mediascraped or removed from the flats 1 51 as same move out from beneath thehopper 17. The scraper blades 72 are preferably of a flexible resilientmaterial, such as rubber or plastic.

Positioned directly rearwardly (FIG. 2) of the scraper mechanism 71 isthe compacting device 18, which device includes a cylindrical pressureroller 77 positioned above and extending transversely across theconveyor belt 48. The pressure roller 77 (FIGS. 6-9) is provided withsupport pins 78 extending outwardly from the opposite axial endsthereof, which support pins are rotatably supported within a pair ofextensions 79 extending rearwardly from and fixedly connected to theside pieces 23. Each of the extensions 79 is provided with asubstantially rectangular bearing block 81 fixedly vided with anelongated vertical slot 82 therein. The vertical slot 82 has a widthslightly greater than the diameter of the support pin 78 whereupon thesupport pin extends into the slot and is freelymovable verticallytherein. Also mounted within the vertical slot 82 is an adjustable stopblock 83, which stop block is provided with a locking screw 84 extendingthrough a small vertical slot 86 formed in the extension 79. Theadjustable stop block 83 is positioned within the slot 82 above thesupport pin 78 and is adjustable vertically relative thereto with thestop block being locked in a desired vertical position by means of thelocking screw 84, which locking screw causes the stop block 83 to betightly held in frictional engagement with the extension 79. With thestop block 83 locked in a vertically spaced position as illustrated inFIG. 9, the pressure roller 77 is mounted for a limited amount ofvertical floating movement. When the support pins 79 of the pressureroller 77 are positioned at the extreme lower ends of the slots 82, asillustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, the lower periphery of the pressure roller77 is positioned closely adjacent to the upper edge of the flats 51.

The plow mechanism 19 (FIGS. 6 and 7) is positioned directly behind thecompacting device 18 and includes a substantially V-shaped plow member87 having a mounting bar 88 (FIG. 10) extending across and fixedlysecured to the upper edges thereof. The mounting bar 88 is in turnconnected to a U'shaped crossarm 89 by means of bolts 91, the crossarmbeing provided with elongated slots 92 therein so as to permit the plow87 to be adjustably secured to the crossarm in a desired transverseposition relative to the conveyor belt 48. The U-shaped crossarm hasdownwardly extending leg portions 93 (FIG. 10) positioned on oppositesides of the conveyor, which leg portions 93 are connected to a pair ofsupport levers 94 by means of pivot bolts 96. Similar pivot bolts 97interconnect the other ends of the support levers 94 to the frame 16and, in particular, to the legs 21 and 22. The pivot axes of the bolts96 and 97 preferably lie in a plane defined by the lowermost edge of theplow 87. The plow mechanism 18 is thus pivotably mounted on the frame 16whereupon the V- shaped plow 87 can freely float in a vertical directionrelative to the conveyor belt 48.

The V-shaped plow 87 is formed from a pair of platelike members 98 whichare fixedly connected at one end thereof, such as by welding, with theplatelike members then extending angularly outwardly and rearwardly, themembers also tapering inwardly in a vertical direction in the samemanner as a conventional plow device. Such a construction thus providesa downwardly sloped leading edge 100 (FIG. 2) whereupon the plow can becammed upwardly over the leading edge of the flats 51. The platelikemembers 98 are preferably provided with detachable blades 99 (FIG. 10)thereon, the lower edge 101 of which can be provided with a curvedconfiguration if desired so as to permit the packing media within theflat to be dished out. If the lower'edge 101 is formed with a portionthereon extending below the upper edge of the flat 51, such extendingportion is preferably constructed of rubber or other suitable resilientmaterial if the flats contain bedding baskets therein. Further, fixedstops 102 (FIGS. 6 and 7) are provided adjacent opposite sides of theconveyor belt 48 and extend upwardly above the surface thereof so as tocontact the crossarm 89. The stops 102 prevent the V-shaped plow fromfalling downwardly onto the surface of the conveyor belt 48 when no flatis present thereunder. The stops 102 are preferably adjustably mountedonthe frame 16, such as by being fixedly secured to the extensions 79.

Considering now the dibbler apparatus 13 illustrated in FIG. 13, samegenerally comprises a frame 111 having a dibbler mechanism 112 movablymounted thereon. The frame of the dibbler apparatus is provided with asubstantially horizontal top plate 113 supported of downwardly extendinglegs 114 and 115, which legs are supported on a suitable bearingsurface, such as a floor. The lower ends of the legs are preferablyprovided with flanges 116 to permit the frame 111 to be fixedly securedto the floor, such as by conventional anchor bolts. The portion of theframe 111 positioned above the second conveyor means 14 is preferablyprovided with a metal mesh 117 surrounding same to prevent workers fromaccidentally becoming injured by the movable dibbler mechanism.

The second conveyor means 14 is positioned between the opposite pairs oflegs 114 and 115 and comprises a conventional conveyor having a conveyorframe 118 supported on a plurality of legs 119, which legs support theconveyor on the bearing surface on floor. The second conveyor means 14is thus supported and operates completely independently of the dibblerapparatus 13. The conveyor means 14 has a conventional conveyor belt 121thereon, the upper surface of the belt being utilized for transportingfilled flats 51 to and from the dibbler apparatus.

As illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 14, the dibbler apparatus is providedwith a fixed side guide 126 positioned adjacent to and extendinglongitudinally along the conveyor belt adjacent the upper surfacethereof, which side guide 126 is provided with a vertically extendingguide surface 127 thereon. A pair of intermediate members 128 fixedlyinterconnect the side guide 126 to the pair of adjacent leg members 114.An adjustable side guide 129 is positioned adjacent the other side ofthe conveyor belt and has a vertical guide surface 131 thereon whichconfronts and is substantially parallel to the guide surface 127. Theadjustable side guide 129 is fixedly connected to a pair of support rods132 (FIG. 12) which slideably extend through openings formed in ahorizontal frame element 133, which frame element extends between and isfixedly connected to the pair of legs 115. The frame element 133 has apair of collars 134 fixedly secured thereto through which slideablyextend the support rods 132. The collars are provided with conventionallocking means therein, such as setscrews, for permitting the supportrods 132 to be fixedly secured in the desired adjusted position. Theside guide 129 is thus adjustable in a direction transversely across thewidth of the conveyor belt 121 so as to vary the separation distancebetween the guide surfaces 127 and 131. Further, as illustrated in FIG.1B, the side guides 126 and 129 each extend toward the entrance end ofthe conveyor belt with the extreme ends 136 thereof being flared ortapered outwardly so as to form a diverging opening to assist inaligning and positioning the flats 51 between the side guides 126 and129. The flats, when confined between the side guides 126 and 129, aremoved by the conveyor belt 121 to a position directly underneath thedibbler mechanism 112.

The dibbler mechanism 112 (FIGS. 11 and 14) includes therein areciprocating power means 137, such as a fluid power cylinder, fixedlysecured to the top plate 113 adjacent the upper surface thereof. Thepower cylinder 137 has a reciprocating piston rod 138 which extendsdownwardly through the top plate and is fixedly connected to a shaft orplunger member 139 for reciprocating same. The plunger 139 is slideablyreceived within a bushing 141 which is integrally secured to a T-shapedbracket 142 fixedly secured to the legs 114 by means of the bolts 143.The extreme lower end of the plunger 139 is provided with asubstantially rectangular, horizontal mounting plate 144 fixedly securedthereto, which mounting plate is adapted to have secured thereto adibble plate 146 having a plurality of downwardly extending dibbles orprojections 147 thereon. The dibble plate 146 is fixedly but detachablysecured to the mounting plate 144 by means of conventional fasteningmeans, such as screws 148. The dibble plate 146 is thus easily removedfrom the mounting plate whereupon dibble plates of different sizesand/or having different numbers of projections thereon can be readilyand interchangeably utilized on the machine.

A trip mechanism 149 (FIG. 11) is provided for controlling the verticalmovement of the dibbler mechanism and includes a mounting block 151mounted on the upper surface of the mounting plate 144 adjacent one edgethereof. A one-way trip lever 152 is pivotably mounted on the block 151and is biased by a compression spring 153 into engagement with a stoppin 154. The trip lever 152 is adapted to cooperate with the actuatinglever 183 of a control valve 181, which valve is fixedly mounted on aframe member 174 which extends downwardly from the top plate 113. Thecontrol valve 181 is a conventional three-way, normally closed valveadapted to be opened by the trip lever 152 when the dibble plate ismoved upwardly. Downward movement of the dibble plate does not causeactuation of the control valve 181 since trip lever 152 is permitted tofreely pivot (counterclockwise in FIG. 11) away from stop pin 154 inopposition to spring 153.

The mounting block 151 also has a tapered camming surface 155 thereonwhich is adapted to cooperate with the actuating lever 177 of a controlvalve 176, which valve is also a conventional three-way, nonnally closedvalve. The tapered surface 155 contacts and deflects the actuating lever177 so as to open the control valve 176 whenever the dibble plate 146reaches its extreme lowermost position, whereupon the control valve 176initiates reverse movement of the dibbler mechanism as explainedhereinafter.

The dibbler apparatus 13 further includes a fluid-pressurepower cylinder156 (HO. 12) mounted on a flange 157 which extends outwardly from and isfixedly secured to one of the legs 114. The power cylinder 156 has areciprocating piston rod 158 extending therefrom and fixedly connectedto an elongated slide or stop member 159. The stop member 159 isslideably received between a pair of substantially parallel rails 161which are fixedly interconnected to and extend laterally outwardly fromthe fixed side guide 126. The guide 126 is provided with a slot thereinin alignment with the slot formed by the parallel rails 161 whereuponthe stop member 159 can extend through the side guide 126 so as to bepositionable above the upper surface of the conveyor belt 121 asillustrated in FIG. 13.

A trip lever 162 is pivotally mounted on the stop member 159 and isinterconnected thereto by means of a torsion spring 163 (FIG. 13), whichspring biases the trip lever in a direction (counterclockwise in FIG.12) whereby the end 162A thereof projects forwardly beyond the stopmember when same is in the extended position illustrated in FIG. 12.

A control valve 164 is fixedly positioned adjacent the stop member 159and has an outwardly extending actuating lever 166 for controlling theposition thereof. The control valve 164 is preferably a conventionalthree-way valve maintained in the normally closed position when the stopmember 159 is in the extended position of FIG. 12. The trip lever 162has an upwardly extending projection 1628 on the rearward end thereofadapted to coact with the actuating lever 166 for opening the controlvalve 164 as explained hereinafter.

A further control valve 191 (FIG. 12) is positioned substantially acrossfrom the control valve 164 adjacent the opposite side of the conveyorbelt 121. The control valve 191 is a conventional three-way, normallyopen valve and is fixedly secured to a bracket 192, which bracket issecured to the adjustable side guide 129. The control valve 191 has anactuating lever 193 which bears against a trigger 194 pivoted by meansof a pin 196 on the adjustable side guide 129. When the control valve191 is in the open position, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the actuatinglever 193 bears against the trigger 194 and causes same to be positionedangularly outwardly so as to project into the path of movement of theflats 51 traveling on the conveyor belt 121. Angular movement of thetrigger 194 into the dotted position illustrated in FIG. 12 causes thecontrol valve 19 to be closed.

To permit the reciprocating movement of the dibbler mechanism 112 to besynchronized with the movement of the flats 51 on the conveyor belt 121,the apparatus is provided with an automatic control system which is, inthe preferred embodiment, pneumatically operated. However, it will beapparent that the control system could be operated by other fluid meansor, alternatively, could be replaced by a conventional electricalcontrol circuit.

The control circuit is diagrammatically illustrated in FIG. and includestherein the control valves 164, 176, 181 and 191, which valves arenormally supplied with a pressurized fluid from a conventional pressuresource S. The control valves 164 and 176 control the position of a flowcontrol valve 171, which in turn controls the flow of pressurized fluidto the power cylinder 137 for controlling the movement of the dibblermechanism 112. The control valves 181 and 191 control the position of aflow control valve 187, which in turn controls the flow of pressurizedfluid to the power cylinder 156 for controlling the position of the stopmember 159. The flow valves 171 and 187 are preferably conventionalfour-way valves. A detailed explanation of the control system will begiven below.

OPERATION Although the operation of the device embodying the inventionhas been indicated somewhat above, the operation will be described indetail hereinbelow for a better understanding of the invention. a

The use and operation of the flat filler apparatus 1 1 will first beconsidered. Before initiating operation, the that filler apparatus ispositioned over a conventional conveyor apparatus in the mannerillustrated in FIG. 1A and the conveyor apparatus is adjusted verticallyso that the upper surface of the conveyor belt 48 is spaced below theupper guide shoes 56 and 59 by a distance slightly greater than theheight of the flat 51. A worker then places some empty flats on theinlet end of the conveyor belt 48 in end to end abutting relationship,the frontmost flat 51 being positioned directly 'under the dischargeopening 69 formed in the bottom of the hopper 17. The adjustablesidewall 32 having the adjustable side guide 57 thereon is then movedlaterally across the belt and fixed in the desired adjusted positionsuch that the inner guide surface 58 is positioned substantiallyadjacent one side of the flat 51, the other side of the flat 51 beingpositioned adjacent the fixed side guide 53, sufficient clearance beingmaintained so as to permit the flats to freely move between the sideguides substantially as illustrated in FIG. 4. The width of the hopperopening 69 is thus slightly less than the width of the opening formed inthe flat 51. Further, if the flats are to be filled with a fairly wetpacking media, then the divider wall 36 is maintained within the hopper.On the other hand, if the packing media is dry, then the divider wall 36is removed from the hopper. For purposes of this explanation, it will beassumed that the packing media utilized is dry and that the dividingwall 36 has been removed from the hopper. The hopper is then filled withpacking media, such as soil or other suitable growing media. Theapparatus is now in condition for continuous operation.

The conveyor motor is then energized so as to move the empty flats underthe hopper 17. As the empty flats move under the hopper, a workerstanding adjacent the inlet end of the conveyor continuously placesempty flats on the conveyor in abutting end to end relationship so as toassure a continuous supply of flats to the hopper. As an empty flat 51moves under the hopper opening 69,the soil within the hopper completelyfills the flat with soil. Since the sidewalls 31 and 32 aresubstantially positioned directly above the opposite longitudinalsidewalls of the empty flat 51 as illustrated in FIG. 4, the soil fallsdirectly into the flat and thus is not deposited on the upper edges ofthe longitudinal sidewalls of the flat. If the flat contains beddingbaskets 52 therein, the bedding baskets are prevented from tipping ormoving by the upper guide shoes 56 and 59 and the center guide shoe 66,which guide shoes are positioned directly over the longitudinal edges ofthe bedding baskets so as to maintain same in position.

When a flat moves underneath the hopper and is filled with soil, thesoil within the hopper directly above the flat tends to move with theflat in a direction toward the rear tapered wall .27. The scrapermechanism 71, in cooperation with the rear wall 27, causes the excesssoil to be removed from the flat as same moves thereunder, the excesssoil tending to move up the tapered interior surface of th rear wall 27with the excess soil then rolling over backwards toward the front wall26 whereupon the material then falls downwardly into the next incomingflat. In this manner, the soil tends to maintain a circular flow patternwithin the hopper, thereby insuring a continuous supply of soil for theincoming flats.

In passing under the flexible scraper mechanism 71, the blade 72 notonly removes excess soil from the top of the flat, but also partiallycompresses the soil within the flat. The flat then passes underneath thepressure roller 77 whereupon the soil is further compacted within theflat, the amount of compaction or compression of the soil beingdependent upon the position of the adjustable stop block 83. If theadjustable stop block is positioned at the lower end of the slot 82 incontact with the support pins 78, then the pressure roller 77 is notpermitted to float and accordingly a maximum compression of the soilwill be obtained. On the'other hand, if the stop block 83 is positionedsubstantially adjacent the top of the slot 82, then the pressure roller77 will be permitted to flow vertically upwardly as it contacts thepacking media within the flat and accordingly the packing media willthen be compressed or compacted to a lesser degree.

The filled flat is then moved out from underneath the pres sure roller77 and comes into contact with the plow mechanism 19 whereupon thetapered leading edge causes the V-shap'ed plow 87 to slide up onto theupper edge of the flat. The V-shaped plow, which is positioned so thatits leading edge 100 is substantially aligned with the longitudinalcenterline of the flat, thus substantially removes any excess soil whichnow remains or extends above the upper edge of the flat and also furthercompacts the soil remaining in the flat. Since the plow mechanism ispivotally mounted so as to float vertically, the plow will remain insliding engagement with the upper edges of the flat irrespective of'whether the edges are warped or deformed. Further, if the plow blades99 are provided with extending edges 101 thereon, the soil within theflat will be dished out in accordance with the configuration of theedges 101.

In the above-described manner, a continuous succession of empty flatsare filled with soil with the excess soil being scraped from the flat asit leaves the hopper, the soil then being compacted within the flat andthe flat again scraped to remove the excess soil therefrom.- The filledflats, upon leaving the plow mechanism 19, are thus in condition to beconveyed to the dibbler apparatus 13 in the manner as explained below.

Considering now the adjustment and operation of the dibbler apparatus13, operation of this apparatus is initiated with the dibbler plate 146in the upward or retracted position substantially as illustrated in FIG.13. The adjustable side guide 129 is initially moved transversely across the conveyor belt 121 so that the spacing between the side guides126 and 129 is slightly greater than the width of the flats 51. Further,a dibble plate 146 is secured to the mounting plate 144 having a sizecorresponding to the size of flats being utilized and further having thedesired dibble pattern thereon, that is, having the desired number ofprojections and having projections of the desired length. Further, theexternal power source S is energized so as to supply compressed fluid.such as air, to the control valves 164, 176, 181 and 191 and the flowvalves 171 and 187. Since the control valve 191 is in the open position,the pressurized fluid supplied to conduit 197 flows through the valve191 into conduit 198 and causes shifting of the flow valve 187 (into theposition illustrated in FIG. 15), whereupon pressurized fluid flowsthrough the conduits 188 and 190 to the rearward end of the powercylinder 156. This causes stop member 159 to be moved into the positionillustrated in FIG. 12 whereby same extends beyond the side guide 126into the path of movement of the flats. The conveyor means 14 is thenenergized and the dibbler apparatus 13 is then in condition forautomatic operation.

The inlet end of the conveyor means 14 is preferably positioned closelyadjacent to the outlet end of the conveyor means 12 utilized inconjunction with the flat filler 11. The

filled flats are thus transferred directly from the outlet end of theflat filling conveyor 12 onto the inlet end of the dibbler conveyor 14.However, the conveyor 14 for the dibbler apparatus runs at a slightlyfaster speed than the conveyor 12 whereupon the flats, upon beingtransferred onto the conveyor belt 121, will become longitudinallyseparated from one another and will thus not be in tight, end-to-endabutting relationship as was true when the flats were positioned on theconveyor belt 48.

As a filled flat moves along the conveyor belt 121, the leading edge ofthe flat comes into contact with the trigger 194 (FIG. 12) and causessame to move outwardly against the actuating lever 193 whereupon thecontrol valve 191 is closed. The leading edge of the flat then comesinto contact with the stop member 159 whereby the flat is heldstationary, the moving conveyor belt 121 slipping relative to the flat.Upon contacting the stop 159, the flat initially contacts the end 162Aand causes the trip lever 162 to angularly move against the bias of thespring 163 (FIG. 13), which movement causes the upwardly extendingprojection 16213 to momentarily cam the actuating lever 166 inwardly,whereupon the control valve 164 is thus temporarily opened. The triplever 162 is moved into a position substantially aligned with the stop159, the projection 1628 thus moving beyond and out of engagement withthe actuating lever 166 so as to permit same to reclose the valve 164.

However, the momentary opening of the control valve 164 permitspressurized fluid from the conduit 167 to pass through the valve intothe conduit 168, which pressurized fluid thus causes the flow valve 171to shift (leftwardly in FIG. whereupon pressurized fluid then flows fromthe conduit 172 through the flow valve 171 into the conduit 173. Theconduit 173, being connected to the upper end of the power cylinder 137,causes the dibble plate 146 to be moved downwardly whereupon theprojections or dibbles 147 are pressed into the packing media containedwithin the flat. The downward movement of the dibbler mechanismcontinues until the dibble plate 146 substantially comes into contactwith the upper edge of the flat 51.

When the dibble plate 146 reaches the extreme lower position, the camsurface 155 (H6. 11) contacts and depresses the actuating lever 177,whereupon the control valve 176 is opened. This valve thus permitspressurized fluid to flow from the conduit 178 into the conduit 179,which in turn causes a shifting of the flow valve 171 back to itsoriginal position (rightwardly in FIG. 15). Fluid supplied to theconduit 172 then flows through the conduit 175 into the lower end of thepower cylinder 137 whereby the dibble plate 146 is then retractedupwardly toward its original position. As the dibble plate movesupwardly from its lowermost position, the cam surface 155 moves out ofcontact with the actuating lever 177 and permits the control valve 176to return to its normally closed position.

As the dibble plate again reaches its uppermost retracted position, theone-way trip lever 152 mounted thereon contacts and depresses theactuating lever 183 whereupon the control valve 181 is temporarily movedto the open position. Pressurized fluid supplied to the conduit 182 isthen permitted to flow into the conduit 184, which pressurized fluid isthen supplied to one end of the flow valve 187 causing a shiftingthereof (leftwardly in FIG. 15). The upward movement of the dibble plate146 continues until the plate 146 passes beyond the actuating lever 183so as to permit the control valve 181 to return to its nonnally closedposition, the upward movement of the dibble plate being controlled bythe power cylinder 137.

The shifting of the flow valve 187, as described above, causes thepressurized fluid in the conduit 188 to flow into the conduit 189, whichconduit is connected to the inner end of the power cylinder 156,whereupon the power cylinder is thus energized so as to cause the pistonrod 158 and the slideable stop 159 connected thereto to be slideablyretracted out of the path of movement of the flat, whereby the movableconveyor belt 121 thus causes the flat to be moved out from underneaththe dibbler mechanism. The filled and dibbled flat is then conveyed to atransplant working area whereupon workers can perform the transplant ofseedlings or small plants into the holes formed in the filled flat.

As the filled and dibbled flat is moved out from underneath the dibblermechanism, the trigger 194 is again moved outwardly into the path ofmovement of the flats, whereupon the actuating lever 193 is similarlymoved so as to return the control valve 191 to its normally openposition. Pressurized fluid thus again enters the line 198 whereby theflow valve 187 is shifted back to its opposite extreme position(rightwardly in FIG. 15). Pressurized fluid in the conduit 188 againflows into and through the conduit 190 to the outer end of the powercylinder 156, whereby the slide stop 159 is again extended outwardlyinto the path of movement of the flats. The next incoming flat thuscomes into contact with the stop 159, causing movement of the trip lever162 and the trigger 194 so as to automatically initiate a new dibblingcycle.

The dibbling cycle as explained above can be accomplished very rapidly,in approximately 2 seconds or less, and accordingly the apparatuspermits a large number of flats to be automatically dibbled within ashort period of time. Further, the dibbling operation is performed witha high degree of accuracy and consistency so as to result in auniformity which greatly facilitates and speeds up the transplantingoperation.

The apparatus of the present invention is thus able to rapidly andsubstantially automatically fill empty flats with packing media andcompress the packing media within the flats to the desired degree ofcompaction, the filled flats then being automatically dibbled so as tobe in condition for transplanting. Further, the apparatus is readilyadaptable to fit the various sizes of flats commonly utilized in thenursery industry. The flats utilized in the nursery industry generallyvary from a minimum height of approximately 1 inch to a maximum heightof approximately 3 inches. Further, the flats generally have a width ofbetween 10 and 16 inches and a length of between 15 and 23 inches. Theapparatus of the present invention is thus designed to accommodate flatshaving dimensions which fall within the above ranges.

To insure that the flat will be sufficiently guided yet freely movedthrough both the flat filler and dibbler apparatus, the side guides onthe flat filler and dibbler apparatus are preferably adjusted so as toprovide a clearance of approximately %inch to %inch. Similarly, theheight of the conveyor is adjusted so as to accommodate the height ofthe particular flat being utilized, there being additionally provided aheight clearance of approximately Ainch between the top of the flat andthe bottom surfaces of the upper guide portions 56 and 59.

The conveyor means 12 and 14 used to supply flats to the flat fillerapparatus 11 and the dibbler apparatus 13, respectively, are ofconventional construction and are completely in dependent of the flatfiller and dibbler apparatus.

Although a particular preferred embodiment of the invention has beendisclosed above for illustrative purposes, it will be understood thatvariations or modifications thereof which lie within the scope of theappended claims are fully contemplated.

lclaim:

1. An apparatus for forming dibbles in trays containing packing mediaand movable along a path, said apparatus comprising:

a frame adapted to be supported on a support surface;

dibbler means mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement betweenfirst and second positions along a line of movement which intersects thepath of movement of said trays, said dibbler means when in said secondposition being adapted to form openings within packing media containedwithin a tray;

drive means mounted on sad frame for causing reciprocation of saiddibbler means between said first and second positions;

conveyor means positioned under said dibbler means and having acontinuously movable endless conveyor member thereon extending outwardlyfrom opposite sides of said frame, said endless conveyor member havingan upper reach movable in a first direction substantially transverse tothe line of movement of said dibbler means and adapted to have filledtrays positioned on the inlet end thereof whereby said trays aresequentially conveyed to a predetermined position under said dibblermeans;

stop means for positioning one of .said trays within said predeterminedposition in alignment with said dibbler means, said stop means exertingno control over the movement of said endless conveyor member andincluding a mechanical stop member movably mounted on said frame formovement between first and second positions, the movement of said stopmember between said first and second positions being independent of andhaving no control over the movement of said endless conveyor member; and

said stop member when insaid first position being disposed directly overthe upper reach of said endless conveyor member and within the path ofmovement of said trays for positively contacting the front end wall ofone of said trays and maintaining said tray stationary in saidpredetermined position while said endless conveyor member continues tomove whereby said one tray slips relative to the upper reach of saidconveyor member, whereupon movement of said dibbler means to saidsecondposition causes said tray to be dibbled, said stop member when insaid second position being laterally displaced from the path of movementof said trays for permitting said continuously movable conveyor memberto move said dibbled tray out of said predetermined position forpermitting the next tray to move into said predetermined position forcontact with said stop member.

2; An apparatus according to claim 1, further including first sensingmeans mounted on said stop means for sensing the presence of said onetray and for initiating the movement of said dibbler means from saidfirst position toward said second position, second sensing means movablymounted on said frame adjacent said conveyor member for indicating whenno tray is positioned in alignment with said dibbler means for causingsaid stop means to be disposed within the path of movement of saidtrays, and third sensing means mounted on said frame within the path ofmovement of said dibbler means and adapted for contacting said dibblermeans for indicating when the dibbler means has completed the dibblingoperation and for withdrawing the stop means out of the path of movementof said one tray for permitting the continuously running conveyor memberto move the tray out of said predetermined position.

3. An apparatus for forming dibbles in trays containing packing mediaand movable along a path, said apparatus comprising:

a frame adapted to be supported on a support surface;

dibbler means mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement betweenfirst and second positions along a line of movement which intersects thepath of movement of said trays, said dibbler means when in said secondposition being adapted to form openings within packing media containedwithin a tray;

drive means mounted on said frame for causing reciprocation of saiddibbler means between said first and second positions;

stop means for positioning one of said trays within a predeterminedposition in alignment with said dibbler means, said stop means includinga stop member movably mounted on said frame for movement between firstand second positions, said stop member when in said first position beingdisposed within the path of movement of said trays for positivelycontacting one of said trays and maintaining said tray in saidpredetermined position whereby movement of said dibbler means tosaidsecond position causes said tray to be dibbled, said stop member when insaid second position being laterally displaced from the path of movementof said trays for permitting said dibbled tray to be moved out of saidpredetermined position;

said stop means further including a drive unit interconnected to saidstop member for moving same between said first and second positions; and

sensing means for indicating when no tray is positioned in saidpredetermined position and interconnected to said drive unit foractivating same to move said stop member to said first position.

4. An apparatus for forming dibbles in trays containing packing mediaand movable along a path, said apparatus comprising: v

a frame adapted to be supported on a support surface;

dibbler means mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement betweenfirst and second positions along a line of movement which intersects thepath of movement of said trays, said dibbler means when in said secondposition being adapted, to form openings within packing media containedwithin a tray;

drive means mounted on said frame for causing reciprocation of saiddibbler means between said first and second positions;

stop means for positioning one of said trays within a predeterminedposition in alignement with said dibbler means, said stop meansincluding a stop member movably mounted on said frame for movementbetween first and second positions, said stop member when in said firstposition being disposed within the path of movement of said trays forpositively contacting one of said trays and maintaining said tray insaid predetermined position whereby movement of said dibbler means tosaid second position causes said tray to be dibbled, said stop memberwhen in said second position being laterally displaced from the path ofmovement of said trays for permitting said dibbled tray to be moved outof said predetermined position; and

actuating means for sensing the presence of a tray in said predeterminedposition and for energizing said drive means for causing movement ofsaid dibbler means from said first toward said second position, saidactuating means including an actuating member movably mounted on saidstop member and disposed for contacting a tray as said tray is movedinto said predetermined position.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, further including reversing meanscoacting between said dibbler means and said frame for automaticallyreversing said drive means for returning said dibbler means to saidfirst position after same reaches said second position.

6. An apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said stop means includes:

a drive unit interconnected to said stop member for moving same betweensaid first and second positions; and

sensing means for indicating when no tray is positioned in saidpredetermined position and interconnected to said drive unit foractivating same to move said stop member to said first position. I

7. An apparatus for forming dibbles in trays containing packing mediaand movable along a path, said apparatus comprising:

a frame adapted to be supported on a support surface;

dibbler means mounted on said frame for reciprocating movement betweenfirst and second positions along a line of movement which intersects thepath of movement of said trays, said dibbler means when in said secondposition being adapted to form openings within packing media containedwithin a tray;

drive means mounted on said frame for causing reciprocation of saiddibbler means between said first and second positions;

stop means for positioning one of said trays within a predeterminedposition in alignment with said dibbler means, said stop means includinga stop member movably mounted on said frame for movement between firstand second positions, said stop member when in said first position beingdisposed within the path of movement of said trays for positivelycontacting one of said trays and maintaining said tray in saidpredetermined position whereby movement of said dibbler means to saidsecond position causes said tray to be dibbled, said stop member when insaid second position being laterally displaced from the path of movementof said trays for pennitting said dibbled tray to be moved out of saidpredetermined position;

said stop means further including a drive unit interconnected to saidstop member for causing movement thereof between said first and secondpositions; and

control means, including circuitry means, operably interconnectedbetween said drive means and said drive unit for automaticallycontrolling the movements of said stop member and said dibbler meansrelative to each other and relative to said frame.

8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said drive means includesa first fluid-pressure power cylinder interconnected to said dibblermeans for causing movement thereof between said first and secondpositions;

said drive unit comprising a second fluid-pressure power cylinderinterconnected to said stop member for causing movement thereof betweensaid first and second positions; and

said circuitry means including a pneumatic fluid pressure circuitinterconnected between said first and second power cylinders, saidcircuit including valve means for controlling the flow of pressure fluidto said first and second power cylinders.

9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said control meansincludes:

first means for sensing the presence of a tray in said predeterminedposition and for causing energization of said drive unit for moving saidstop member to said first position when no tray is present in saidpredetermined position: 1

second means for sensing the presence of a tray in said predeterminedposition and interconnected to said drive means for causing energizationof same for moving said dibbler means from said first toward secondposition when a tray is present in said predetermined position;

third means for sensing the presence of said dibbler means in saidsecond position and interconnected to said drive means for reversing theenergization thereof to automatically move said drive means from saidsecond position back toward said first position; and

fourth meansfor sensing the movement of said dibbler means from saidsecond position toward said first position and interconnected to saiddrive unit for automatically causing energization thereof for movingsaid stop member from said first position to said second position forpermitting the dibbled tray to be removed from said predeterminedposition.

10. An apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said drive meanscomprises:

a first fluid-pressure power cylinder;

said drive unit comprising a second fluid pressure power cylinder; and

said control means including a fluid-pressure circuit having first valvemeans associated with and comprising a portion of said first sensingmeans, second valve means associated with and comprising a portion ofsaid second sensing means, third valve means associated with andcomprising a portion of said third sensing means, and fourth valve meansassociated with and comprising a portion of said fourth sensing means.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further including first sensingmeans mounted on said stop means for sensing the presence of said onetray and for initiating the movement of said dibbler means from saidfirst position toward said second position, second sensing means movablymounted on said frame adjacent said conveyor member for indicating whenno tray is positioned in alignment with said dibbler means for causingsaid stop means to be disposed within the path of movement of saidtrays, and third sensing means mounted on said frame within the path ofmovement of said dibbler means and adapted for contacting said dibblermeans for indicating when the dibbler means has completed the dibblingoperation and for withdrawing the stop means out of the path of movementof said one tray for permitting the continuously running conveyor memberto move the tray out of said predetermined position.
 3. An apparatus forforming dibbles in trays containing packing media and movable along apath, said apparatus comprising: a frame adapted to be supported on asupport surface; dibbler means mounted on said frame for reciprocatingmovement between first and second positions along a line of movementwhich intersects the path of movement of said trays, said dibbler meanswhen in said second position being adapted to form openings withinpacking media contained within a tray; drive means mounted on said framefor causing reciprocation of said dibbler means between said first andsecond positions; stop means for positioning one of said trays within apredetermined position in alignment with said dibbler means, said stopmeans including a stop member movably mounted on said frame for movementbetween first and second positions, said stop member when in said firstposition being disposed within the path of movement of said trays forpositively contacting one of said trays and maintaining said tray insaid predetermined position whereby movement of said dibbler means tosaid second position causes said tray to be dibbled, said stop memberwhen in said second position being laterally displaced from the path ofmovement of said trays for permitting said dibbled tray to be moved outof said predetermined position; said stop means further including adrive unit interconnected to said stop member for moving same betweensaid first and second positions; and sensing means for indicating whenno tray is positioned in said predetermined position and interconnectedto said drive unit for activating same to move said stop member to saidfirst position.
 4. An apparatus for forming dibbles in trays containingpacking media and movable along a path, said apparatus comprising: aframe adapted to be supported on a support surface; dibbler meansmounted on said frame for reciprocating movement between first andsecond positions along a line of movement which intersects the path ofmovement of said trays, said dibbler means when in said second positionbeing adapted to form openings within packing media contained within atray; drive means mounted on said frame for causing reciprocation ofsaid dibbler means between said first and second positions; stop meansfor positioning one of said trays within a predetermined position inalignement with said dibbler means, said stop means including a stopmember movably mounted on said frame for movement between first andsecond positions, said stop member when in said first position beingdisposed within the path of movement of said trays for positivelycontacting one of said trays and maintaining said tray in saidpredetermined position whereby movement of said dibbler means to saidsecond position causes said tray to be dibbled, said stop member when insaid second position being laterally displaced from the path of movementof said trays for permitting said dibbled tray to be moved out of saidpredetermined position; and actuating means for sensing the presence ofa tray in said predetermined position and for energizing said drivemeans for causing movement of said dibbler means from said first towardsaid second position, said actuating means including an actuating membermovably mounted on said stop member and disposed for contacting a trayas said tray is moved into said predetermined position.
 5. An apparatusaccording to claim 4, further including reversing means coacting betweensaid dibbler means and said frame for automatically reversing said drivemeans for returning said dibbler means to said first position after samereaches said second position.
 6. An apparatus according to claim 5,wherein said stop means includes: a drive unit interconnected to saidstop member for moving same between said first and second positions; andsensing means for indicating when no tray is positioned in saidpredetermined position and interconnected to said drive unit foractivating same to move said stop member to said first position.
 7. Anapparatus for forming dibbles in trays containing packing media andmovable along a path, said apparatus comprising: a frame adapted to besupported on a support surface; dibbler means mounted on said frame forreciprocating movement between first and second positions along a lineof movement which intersects the path of movement of said trays, saiddibbler means when in said second position being adapted to formopenings within packing media contained within a tray; drive meansmounted on said frame for causing reciprocation of said dibbler meansbetween said first and second positions; stop means for positioning oneof said trays within a predetermined position in alignment with saiddibbler means, said stop means including a stop member movably mountedon said frame for movement between first and second positions, said stopmember when in said first position being disposed within the path ofmovement of said trays for positively contacting one of said trays andmaintaining said tray in said predetermined position whereby movement ofsaid dibbler means to said second position causes said tray to bedibbled, said stop member when in said second position being laterallydisplaced from the path of movement of said trays for permitting saiddibbled tray to be moved out of said predetermined position; said stopmeans further including a drive unit interconnected to said stop memberfor causing movement thereof between said first and second positions;and control means, including circuitry means, operably interconnectedbetween said drive means and said drive unit for automaticallycontrolling the movements of said stop member and said dibbler meansrelative to each other and relative to said frame.
 8. An apparatusaccording to claim 7, wherein said drive means includes a firstfluid-pressure power cylinder interconnected to said dibbler means forcausing movement thereof between said first and second positions; saiddrive unit comprising a second fluid-pressure power cylinderinterconnected to said stop member for causing movement thereof betweensaid first and second positions; and said circuitry means including apneumatic fluid pressure circuit interconnected between said first andsecond power cyLinders, said circuit including valve means forcontrolling the flow of pressure fluid to said first and second powercylinders.
 9. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said controlmeans includes: first means for sensing the presence of a tray in saidpredetermined position and for causing energization of said drive unitfor moving said stop member to said first position when no tray ispresent in said predetermined position: second means for sensing thepresence of a tray in said predetermined position and interconnected tosaid drive means for causing energization of same for moving saiddibbler means from said first toward second position when a tray ispresent in said predetermined position; third means for sensing thepresence of said dibbler means in said second position andinterconnected to said drive means for reversing the energizationthereof to automatically move said drive means from said second positionback toward said first position; and fourth means for sensing themovement of said dibbler means from said second position toward saidfirst position and interconnected to said drive unit for automaticallycausing energization thereof for moving said stop member from said firstposition to said second position for permitting the dibbled tray to beremoved from said predetermined position.
 10. An apparatus according toclaim 9, wherein said drive means comprises: a first fluid-pressurepower cylinder; said drive unit comprising a second fluid pressure powercylinder; and said control means including a fluid-pressure circuithaving first valve means associated with and comprising a portion ofsaid first sensing means, second valve means associated with andcomprising a portion of said second sensing means, third valve meansassociated with and comprising a portion of said third sensing means,and fourth valve means associated with and comprising a portion of saidfourth sensing means.